


Can't Run Away From Yourself

by BridgetMcKennitt



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Community: fic_promptly, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Oblivious Stiles, Realization, Research
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-10 18:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2035296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgetMcKennitt/pseuds/BridgetMcKennitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles didn't know why Derek and Kira fake dating bothered him so much. He was going to find out though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can't Run Away From Yourself

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: act naturally

It made no sense. Stiles couldn't stop staring at the horrifying scene before him. How Scott was able to stand such a sight, Stiles had no clue. They were both in the car staking out the diner, but Stiles wished he was anywhere but there. He turned to Scott and nudged him with his elbow.

"Dude, are you handling this okay?" he asked as they watched Kira and Derek snuggle up next to each other, looking like they were madly in love. They did to Stiles' eyes.

Scott blinked at him. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Uh, because Derek is making out with your girlfriend. Why is this happening again?" Stiles watched as Derek pulled Kira into his lap and nuzzled her neck, making her laugh.

"Because Woldoff knows what you and I look like, but not what Kira, or even Derek, look like. And Kira doesn't want to go undercover by herself so she dragged her best friend into it."

Stiles narrowed his eyes. That didn't look like best friends pretending to be in love. It looked a lot more serious than that. "I don't think Woldoff is going to show up. We better call Kira and Derek off before they start dry humping in the diner."

Scott's eyes widened before he let out a chuckle. "They wouldn't do that. But you're right, I don't think Woldoff is going to show. I'll text Kira." He got out his phone and texted her. "I told her to meet us at my house. They're going to have to continue with their fake dating until we catch him."

"Great." Stiles' hands tightened on the wheel before he turned the key in the ignition. There was no reason for Stiles to be annoyed over this. The plan was brilliant and it made plenty of sense. He was just worried about Scott's relationship with Kira. Derek wasn't trustworthy.

Stiles drove them to Scott's house and they went inside to the living room to wait for Kira and Derek. Scott looked at ease on the couch and Stiles sat down next to him.

"Are we even sure Woldoff has the information we need? Peter isn't the most trustworthy person ever."

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot. We have no other leads to find the Benefactor, but he's so skittish that he won't come near the two of us." He smiled. "Kira's having fun though. She's never been undercover for anything."

"Good for her."

Headlights flashed through the living room window and Scott got up on his feet. "Oh good, they're here."

Even when there was no reason to pretend they were dating, Derek had his arm wrapped around Kira's waist and held her tight against him as they walked into the house. Stiles narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sorry the guy didn't show up," Kira said. "Do you think he's onto us? I thought we were pretty convincing." She looked up at Derek. "Don't you agree?"

"You're the only one for me, Kira." Derek bent low to kiss the top of her head. Both Kira and Scott laughed.

"That's great and all, but we should really focus on important matters. What's our next step?" Stiles glanced at Derek and Kira and furrowed his brow. "There's no reason you guys need to keep pretending. Don't you care about Scott?"

Kira's eyes widened and she immediately stepped away from Derek. "Sorry! It's just so much fun. Derek's a good sport about everything." She raised her fist and a moment later, Derek raised his in return to bump against her fist.

Stiles wanted to roll his eyes. He didn't know when Kira and Derek became so buddy-buddy, but he wasn't a fan, especially since Scott didn't think it was that big of a deal. Their friendship was too sweet for his tastes.

"I'll ask Lydia to see if she can find a location for the Benefactor or Woldoff through her banshee powers. It's a long shot, but we can try. Derek, you'll have to continue pretend dating Kira until we can draw Woldoff out. He's been talking to teenagers and young adults lately to try and draw them in, so hopefully you guys can do it."

Kira flashed Scott a thumbs up and when Derek didn't respond, she nudged him until he flashed a thumbs up as well. Stiles decided to roll his eyes then. He and Scott were nowhere near as weird as those two.

"I'm going to take Kira home and we'll try again tomorrow." Derek placed his hand on the small of Kira's back. "Text me if you come up with anything else."

"Oh! Do you think we can go to the ice cream parlor before you take me home? I'm craving some chocolate mint."

It was like they couldn't help themselves. Kira just gravitated back to Derek like she didn't notice Scott was right there. He liked Kira and thought she was great for Derek. She wasn't the problem. The problem was, as usual, Derek.

Then it hit Stiles. He knew what to do. He was going to save Scott and Kira's relationship by getting Derek out of the picture.

*

Stiles already knew Scott wouldn't approve of his plan. Scott didn't see what was so clearly in front of him and if Stiles didn't do anything, Scott was going to lose Kira to Derek. Stiles couldn't allow that to happen.

The next day, he got up early and drove to Derek's loft. He had made a copy of Derek's key that Derek gave to Scott a couple of weeks back so he used it to get inside. The sight before him, however, stopped him from taking another step into the loft.

Kira was lying on the couch with her legs on top of Derek's thighs. Her eyes were closed while Derek read a book with one hand while he stroked Kira's leg with the other. There was no way that was platonic friendship. He never snuggled with Scott like that before.

Stiles cleared his throat to get their attention. Kira opened her eyes while Derek raised his eyebrow.

"Stiles!" Kira sat up and waved at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to hang." He did a hand motion as he walked closer. "What are you doing here? It's kind of early."

"Oh, I stayed over last night because it was so late by the time we left the ice cream parlor." Kira nudged Derek with her bare foot. "It's a good thing mom likes you so much though I think that's because you're not my boyfriend."

Derek smirked. "Your mother doesn't trust wolves, whether they're dating you or not."

Stiles wondered where Kira in Derek's loft she slept last night. It better not have been in Derek's bed, for Scott's sake. He knew how easy it was for Derek to seduce a woman from past experience and he did not want Derek to seduce Kira.

He cleared his throat again. "Have any of you eaten breakfast yet? Because I am starving. We should all eat breakfast together."

Judging by Kira's expression, she was excited for breakfast. Derek either didn't care or wasn't happy about it. Good. Derek didn't deserve to be happy if he was trying to steal Scott's girl.

"I'll drive." He jingled his key chain as Kira got off the couch. "What do you say to IHOP? Pancakes are the bomb."

"I love pancakes. Derek doesn't which I think is weird." Kira pulled on Derek's arm to get him off the couch. "You're coming, too. Remember how you promised me you'd have a pancake eating contest with me? Today is the day."

Derek smiled as he got to his feet. "I still think you tricked me into agreeing with that. But then again, you are a kitsune. What else could I have expected?"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Okay, you two. Enough already and let's get a move on."

When they got to his Jeep, Stiles maneuvered Derek to the front passenger seat. "I think you should sit here."

Derek gave him an odd look, but Kira didn't seem to notice. She got into the back of the Jeep as Stiles went around to the driver's seat. Derek just shrugged and got in, sitting next to Stiles. He drove them to the nearest IHOP and parked in the first empty parking stall he saw.

As they got out of the car, Derek immediately opened Kira's door and helped her out. She reached for his hand and he took it without hesitation. Stiles didn't like that so he butted in between the two of them, slinging his arms around their shoulders.

They walked inside the IHOP and soon sat down by the window. Stiles made sure to sit next to Derek while Kira sat across from them. He crowded Derek in the booth and grinned at Kira.

"So what kind of pancakes is everyone getting?" Stiles asked as he opened his menu. "Unless someone is getting something else?"

"Nope, I'm totally down with pancakes. I want blueberry pancakes with lots of maple syrup." She smiled at Derek. "What are you getting, Derek?"

"The breakfast sampler combo." He paused when Kira gave him a look. "With a side order of pancakes. Kira, after this, we are going to train."

"You mean we're going to try parkour again."

Stiles had shown both Scott and Kira the Youtube video of people trying out parkour after they had watched Casino Royale. It looked amazing, but Stiles wasn't skilled enough to get the hang of it. Neither was Scott when he tried. Now he knew Kira had persuaded Derek to do parkour. It wasn't hard to imagine Derek doing parkour. He practically did it now whenever he fought.

Stiles leaned into Derek's space. "I'd like to see you guys attempt parkour. How good are you at it?"

"I'm not so good, but Derek's definitely a lot better. He can backflip off a wall."

Stiles had never seen Derek do that, but before he could speak up, the waitress came to take their orders. It took a few minutes to order and then the waitress left.

"I think I should watch you guys do some parkour. That sounds like fun."

"Derek's the best. I love him." When Kira smiled at Derek, Derek actually smiled in return. Derek the Seducer struck again. Well, Stiles wasn't having that.

"Yeah, Derek's totally the best. He hasn't been the greatest of fighters though." Stiles nudged Derek. "Tell Kira how often you've gotten your ass kicked."

Derek scowled at him before turning towards Kira. Surprisingly, Derek began telling Kira about the fights where he had his ass kicked by enemies. There was no embarrassment in his tone, even when Kira began laughing at his failed exploits.

Kira reached across the table to take Derek's hand. "You're doing a lot better and that's what counts. You've even taught me a lot and I'm thankful for all your help."

Stiles hid his scowl as the waitress brought their food. That was a major failure. It didn't drive Kira away from Derek at all.

They finished their food and Derek picked up everyone's tab because of Kira's prompting. Stiles had the thought that maybe it was because Kira was a kitsune and she could trick Derek into doing whatever she wanted. Then he put that thought to rest. Kira was awesome and even her kitsune skills couldn't match Derek's seducing skills. Derek could seduce anyone without even trying.

They piled into the Jeep, though this time Kira sat in the front while Derek sat in the back.

"Stiles, do you think you can drop Derek off first? I'm not too anxious to go home so soon."

Stiles nodded as he backed out of the parking stall. With Derek gone, he could use that time to try and convince Kira that Derek was bad news. Scott was all she needed for a boyfriend and Stiles, Lydia, and Malia were all the friends she needed, too.

He may have sped a little on the way to Derek's loft and he gave Derek a big wave goodbye as he left Stiles' Jeep.

Derek just gave him an odd look before saying goodbye to Kira.

Once Derek was inside, Stiles continued driving towards Kira's house.

"Stiles, do you think you can park somewhere?"

He glanced over at Kira and saw she was fidgeting in her chair and how she kept wringing her hands. Whatever it was she wanted to talk about had to be pretty serious. Stiles nodded and looked for a side of the road he could pull over.

"So what's up?"

Kira turned towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I feel, as Derek's BFF, that I should talk to you about your crush on him. It's adorable and I want to help you nab him."

"What?" Stiles blinked at her. Of all the topics she could have brought up, this wasn't one of them.

She grinned. "I suspected it for awhile, but it wasn't until recently when I had to pretend Derek was my boyfriend that I knew for sure."

Stiles stared at her. "You are joking, right? I'm not crushing on Derek. I'm trying to stop him from making you fall in love with him. He can do that, you know."

Kira burst into laughter, curling forward as she wrapped her arms around her middle. Stiles wasn't sure what was so funny about what he said, so he waited until she stopped laughing. She looked back up at him and there was a twinkle in her eyes.

"He can't make me do anything, Stiles. I'm a kitsune and being a trickster is in my nature. Derek helped me with that and I'm always getting him to do things I want. He's my best friend and that's all he is to me. I'm not ever going to fall in love with him because I like Scott. You know, your best friend and my boyfriend."

"Are you sure?" He didn't mean to say that, but the words just came out.

"Very. Derek doesn't even think of me that way. I'm like his little sister. It's sweet that you're trying to help Scott out, but I know he doesn't care about my friendship with Derek. He's not even one bit worried that Derek would try to make me fall in love with him. So I guess my question is, why are you so worried?"

Stiles made a random hand gesture to stall for time. He knew Scott didn't care about Derek because Scott knew Derek wasn't a threat to his relationship with Kira. So he had no real reason why he wanted to keep following the two of them around and try to split them up.

Before he could come up with an answer, Kira answered for him. "I think you've been trying to 'help' out because you have a crush on Derek. I get it, he's really cute in that way of his, and I think you should go for it. If you want me to help, I can. I have an in with him, after all." Kira wiggled her fingers.

"Uh, thanks, but not right now." He turned the key in the ignition to start his Jeep. "I want to have a plan going in."

"Okay."

When he dropped her off in front of her house, she flashed him a thumbs up before she left the Jeep. Stiles just gave her a weak grin and flashed her a thumbs up in return.

*

Stiles got home and went to his board in his room. Like Kira said, she was a trickster. Just because she thought something was true didn't mean it was. She wasn't mean, Stiles really doubted Kira could _be_ mean, but he had to think logically about what she said.

He dug into his drawer for a picture of Derek and pinned it to the board. While he didn't have a picture of Kira, he printed out one of a fox and pinned that as well to the board. Then he pinned a picture of himself up there. If she and Derek were nothing but friends, then why did them pretending they were dating annoy him so much? Stiles added things onto the board as they came to him. He was going to figure out the answer to his question.

When he finished, Stiles sat back on his bed to stare at it. There were a lot of red string connecting items, but there were a few things he knew. Derek was a good looking man who could seduce someone without even trying. That was why he worried that Derek would try to steal Kira away from Scott.

Except Kira didn't have those kind of feelings for Derek and Scott wasn't worried about Derek. The people involved weren't worried so Stiles, logically, shouldn't be worried either. It wasn't like Derek was some girlfriend stealing fiend either. Derek cared for Scott, and even if Derek liked Kira like that, he wouldn't make a move because of Scott.

Stiles leaned back on his hands to think some more. He needed to delve deeper into the situation. If Derek wasn't the problem, and it definitely wasn't Kira or Scott, then the only one it could be was _him_.

Stiles frowned.

Fine, if that was the case, then why did he care so much? It wasn't for Scott and Kira's relationship. If it wasn't about them, then it had to be about Derek.

Stiles stared at the picture of Derek on his board. He could admit to himself that Derek was good looking. Anyone could see that. He wasn't very good at being competent or happy in the beginning of knowing him, but that had changed. Derek was easier going and happier nowadays. Granted, not around Stiles, but definitely around Kira and sometimes Scott.

Derek.

Stiles knew a lot about Derek. He had made it a point to dig up any information about him when the human sacrifices happened, thinking Derek was part of the problem. He hadn't been, but the information within Stiles' head remained.

"What are you doing?"

Stiles glanced at his open door where Malia was watching him. They'd had a thing before, but they'd both decided to remain friends. He was still her anchor though and one of his good friends.

"Trying to figure out what Derek means to me." Stiles hadn't meant to say it that way, but it came out just the same. He tried not to waver under Malia's hard gaze.

"Do you want to fuck him?" she asked as she entered his room. "He does look hot. I'd fuck him."

Stiles winced. Malia still didn't know that Peter was her father and therefore Derek was her cousin. "You probably shouldn't. He's a big ball of anger."

She sat down next to him on the bed. "Okay, so why do you want to fuck him?" Malia sniffed him. "I could smell the low grade arousal on you before I even came near your room, and you've been staring at his picture for awhile. I don't see what the big deal is. He's not dating someone, is he?"

Stiles shook his head. "He's not really the dating kind of guy."

"Well, even if he was, if you wanted him, you should take him for yours. If I wanted you, I'd take you in a heartbeat."

Sometimes Stiles forgot that Malia was still wild at heart. "Thanks, I guess. I'm not even sure what I want. I'm kind of figuring things out as I go. At least I'm not trying to pretend that Derek is going to seduce Kira away from Scott."

Malia placed her hands on Stiles' shoulders and forced him to look at her. "Talk to him. Get Kira involved if you have to, but I don't like you smelling like anxiety. It ruins my day and I don't need that."

Stiles snorted as he smiled. "Right, because this is all about you. Okay, fine, I'll talk to him. I don't know what I'd say though that wouldn't make me look stupid."

"You're not stupid, you're just confused. I get confused all the time, but that doesn't mean anything." She patted his face before getting up. "I'm going to go shopping with Lydia. Try not to screw up, Stiles."

Stiles watched her go before letting out a harsh breath. It was easy for Malia to just do whatever she wanted because nothing would dare stand in her way. She was definitely a Hale because Derek was just as stubborn as her. Maybe he had a Hale thing because he'd also been attracted to Cora when she'd been in Beacon Hills.

He stared at Derek's picture once more. It wouldn't hurt to try and ask Derek how he felt about him. Maybe they could go as slow as Scott and Kira did when they first began their relationship. Or Derek would reject him and Stiles could go running back to Malia for a comforting shoulder to lean on.

He nodded firmly. He could do this.

*

Stiles drove to Derek's loft and made his way upstairs. He used his key to get inside Derek's loft and called out Derek's name.

Derek came down the stairs as he raised his eyebrow at Stiles. "What's going on? Did we find Woldoff?"

Stiles shook his head. "Not yet. I actually came over to talk to you about something else."

Derek gestured towards the living room and Stiles followed him to the large windows and the table there. Derek leaned against the table as he gazed at Stiles.

Stiles sat down on the couch. "I don't know if you noticed I've been acting weird lately, but I wanted to let you know that's not going to happen anymore."

"You mean how you acted around Kira?" He gave him a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Because you should know better than to go after your best friend's girlfriend. I thought you were better than that, Stiles."

"Wait, what? No! I'm not attracted to Kira at all!" Stiles narrowed his eyes. "I thought _you_ were going after Kira, but I realized that it wasn't the case."

There was a confused expression on Derek's face. Yeah, he definitely wasn't trying to seduce Kira. "She's my best friend. I don't think of her like that. You don't think of Scott like that, do you?"

Stiles shook his head. "Nope, not one bit."

There was silence between them for a few minutes before Derek spoke up. "Well, I'm glad we cleared the air, I guess. Was that it?"

It would have been easy to say yes and bail, but Stiles came here for a reason. "There was something else. I think I acted weird was not because of Kira and Scott but because of you. Because I like you kinda."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Really? You have an odd way of showing it. I guess Kira was right."

Stiles groaned. "Why are you and Kira talking about me?"

"She brings up topics and we talk about things. I'm sure you and Scott have talked about her." He pushed himself away from the table and walked over to sit next to Stiles. "She thinks we should go out because we'd 'be cute together' but I really think it's because Kira wants us to go on double dates with her and Scott. Her best friend with her boyfriend's best friend? It has a nice ring to her."

It did have a nice abstract ring to it. "And you? What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think. I always thought Kira was kidding around so I never really thought about it." Derek looked down at his hands. "Maybe."

Stiles waited for Derek to elaborate. When he didn't, he poked him in the shoulder. "Maybe? Maybe what?"

"Maybe, Stiles." He shrugged.

Maybe Stiles shouldn't have expected much out of Derek, but it was more than he normally would have gotten out of him otherwise. Stiles nodded.

"I can work with maybe." Stiles slung his arm carefully over Derek's shoulders, waiting to see what Derek's reaction would be.

It didn't take long for Derek to relax under him and lean in his direction. Stiles leaned his head against Derek's shoulder. It was comfortable being with Derek in the silence and Stiles didn't mind it. He could probably get used to it even.

Suddenly, Derek's phone rang and Stiles saw Kira's name on the screen. Derek glanced at him before answering the phone on speaker.

"Hey, Kira."

"Derek. My parents are getting suspicious about our fake dating. You need to come over and distract them. My dad loved the stories you told about your mom. You should do it again."

Stiles stared at Derek as Derek glanced at him once more. "I will, but not today. I'm busy at the moment."

"Doing what?" Kira grew silent and Derek didn't respond. Suddenly, Kira gasped. "You have someone over there with you. I can sense it." She paused. "Stiles, is that Stiles with you?"

"Yes."

Stiles was somewhat surprised that Kira could tell he was there and that Derek confirmed he was. Then again, the two were friends and Derek had been teaching her supernatural ways.

"Hi, Kira," said Stiles.

"I'm going to leave you two alone." Stiles could almost feel her waggling her eyebrows over the phone. "Bye!"

Derek ended the call before placing the phone back on the couch next to him. Stiles' arm was still around Derek's shoulders and Derek made no moves to dislodge it.

"So," Stiles said. "I think we might be a good thing. Wanna test it out?"

Derek turned to give him a fond look, a look he had only given Scott or Kira before. Progress. "Maybe."


End file.
